A Big Girl Bed for Little Miss

I spend the last hour of Gemma’s day in her bed…reading stories, singing songs, and sometimes watching her fall asleep. (I know, I know. I need to let her fall asleep on her own, but sometimes it’s nice to be around her when she’s still and quiet:)

The problem was we had a small twin bed, and this was a really tight squeeze. Between me, a wiggly toddler and 57 stuffed animals, things were getting increasing uncomfortable. When I transitioned Gemma from her crib, I thought a twin bed made sense. I couldn’t imagine my tiny two-year old in a bigger bed than a twin.

Fast forward over a year and somehow a three-year old takes up WAY more space in a bed (and in the world for that matter) than a two-year old does.

Why did no one warn me about “threenagers” earlier?!?!

I realized that as much time as we spend together in the room, we needed to go ahead and spring for a full or queen. Plus, it made sense to have a larger bed that could be used when we have guests.

I found this sweet little metal bed frame for a great price at-get this-Wal Mart! It’s in the Novogratz line, and I just love it. I had an antique metal bed when I was growing up, so it feels really nostalgic to have one in my daughter’s room. Side note: Occasionally I see little girls’ rooms in design magazines that make me a bit sad. While they’re sophisticated and gorgeous, sometimes they seem so proper for kids. I definitely want Gemma’s room to feel whimsical and playful and even a bit messy for as long as possible…She can have a sophisticated and chic room later in life, but not now.

I feel like metal beds are perfectly age appropriate and super kid-friendly. No worries about apple juice stained upholstery on a bed here.

GEL FOAM BEDS
When I was researching foam mattresses, I came across GelFoamBed and reached out to work with them. Full disclosure: I was given the mattress for review. BUT I also had two other mattress companies I could have worked with. I chose to go with GelFoamBeds after I did side-by-side comparisons with the other brands.

Here’s my thoughts on why…

WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH FOAM?
So, we have never purchased a foam mattress before. Memory foam has been all the rage lately. With any kind of foam mattress, pressure is alleviated from the hips and back as compared to traditional mattresses. But what really swayed me toward the GelFoamBed over other foam mattresses is that it’s made from serene foam.

Serene foam is not temperature sensitive. Unlike traditional mattresses or even other foam where your body heat is absorbed, this material releases body heat so you stay cooler at night.

Gemma is a HOT sleeper. Poor girl sweats in the dead of winter and usually kicks off her blankets within minutes of being in bed. The first few nights we had the bed, I snuck in a few hours after she feel asleep to check on her. Here was the kicker for me…she kept her blanket on the entire time! Usually her bed looks like a tornado hit. A sweaty, curly headed toddler is sprawled out in the bulls’ eye of animals and crumpled blankets pushed to the edges of the bed.

Now she’s actually keeping her covers on, and I’m pretty sure it has something to do with the fact that she’s not burning up at night.

(PS: We live in Houston and have had 100 degree temps for weeks, so that’s pretty amazing.)

I ended up going with the Miranda 12″ in a full size. The mattress comes all rolled up in a box that was sitting on our front porch when we got home one afternoon.

Once you take it out of the box and plastic wrap it, it take a few minutes for it to return to its original shape. Basically, the foam had been condensed during shipping, so it looks as if it’s “deflating”. Little miss especially enjoyed watching this process.

COMFORT LEVEL
At first I had to get used to the fact that when you sit on the bed, it doesn’t “bounce” like a typical bed because there are no springs. The first few seconds on the bed feels a little firm, and I briefly panicked thinking it wasn’t going to be comfy. But I noticed once I got settled in that the foam slowly forms to support you.

It’s super comfy once the foam takes shape, it just takes a couple seconds to adapt to your positioning. I found as a side sleeper this is especially nice.

I’ve actually slept with Gemma on the bed a few nights. (Sometimes nightmares require mommy sleepovers, and other times one song leads to another which leads to me accidentally falling asleep.)

To wrap up, GelFoamBeds are handmade in the USA and made to order. They offer a 100-night free trial to make sure you like the feel. The price point is great compared to other brands, AND GelFoamBeds is offering $50 off on any order if you use the code thedecorfix.

If you’ve been needing to replace an ancient mattress, this could be a good time:)

Thanks, Vin! She is a happy girl- especially when she’s bribed with jelly beans to “take pictures for mommy’s work”. Lol. Also, I have not sent out an email in quite some time, so that’s the reason. I’ll probably start them again this fall.

Hey Heather – I know you did a post about framing your family photos with Framebridge, a while ago. I was just curious if you have more tips on how to achieve a balance of family portraits + art in your home. I love displaying artwork, and love displaying photos. Would love to see a post in the future – about incorporating both! 🙂

Hmm. it’s kind of tough to say since I typically address this based on room, home size, etc. I typically like to keep gallery walls either all artwork or all pictures. I think mixing the two looks a bit junky. My take is that if you do family photos outside the context of a gallery wall, go really large with one or two subjects OR stick to smaller pics displayed on table tops or bookshelves. Hope that helps:)

There are so many interesting new mattress choices these days. We need to replace our mattress, and I am excited to pick one! I think it speaks volumes that you are sometimes “accidentally falling asleep.” 🙂

I have enjoyed getting caught up on your blog this evening. I had added it to my blogroll several months ago, but hadn’t seen an update since your Christmas post. I tried to add your blog URL to my feed again, hoping it would refresh, but it looks like the feed actually hasn’t updated with any of the new posts since then. I’m going to try to make it a point to check in from time to time as I really enjoy your blog! 🙂

Hi Jenny! Thanks so much for the sweet words. You know, I’m not sure what’s up with my feed, but I’ve heard this before. I’ll have to check it out. One way to make sure you stay connected is to join my mailing list. (You can sign for the “free decorating email class” in the sidebar, and then you’ll always see when I post something new or send something out to my email buds.)

Yes, Adjustable bed frames or metal bed frames are a great option for your growing up kids. I mean, an affordable investment to suit your kids requirement. And when you placed that gel foam mattress over it… it’s all goes superb. What a great idea!! Worthy to make your kid happy.

On a Serious Note

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